By Ademuyiwa Balikis
The University for Development Studies (UDS) from Ghana and Shanghai University of Sport from China have emerged champions at the 2025 FISU University World Cup Football, which ended in Dalian, China, over the weekend.
The tournament, which drew over 43,000 spectators, also came with disappointment for Nigeria as Lagos State University (LASU) women’s team was disqualified from participating.
In the men’s final, UDS pulled off a stunning comeback against defending champions Paulista University of Brazil. The Brazilians struck first in the opening minute through Gabriel Vieira Barbara, but Ghana kept pushing until Mohammed Asigre Sulemana equalised dramatically in the 93rd minute. The game went into extra time, where Ezedeen Alhassan scored the winning goal in the 120+1 minute, sealing a 2-1 victory for Ghana.
On the women’s side, Shanghai University of Sport delighted home fans with a 3-1 win over Canada’s Laval University. Emilie Grondines gave the Canadians an early lead, but Sun Fangxin equalised just a minute later. A brace from Yin Lihong in the 21st and 73rd minutes sealed the title for China in front of more than 21,000 fans.
In the bronze medal matches, Granada University of Spain defeated Morocco’s Chouaib Doukkali University 4-2 on penalties to claim third place in the men’s category, while Beijing Normal University of China edged Brazil’s University of the Extreme South of Santa Catarina 1-0 to secure bronze in the women’s category.
The closing ceremony wrapped up an exciting competition that also saw seven universities claim individual awards for outstanding performances.
